Varietal: Bordeaux Blend | Location: France - Bordeaux - Fronsac
Last year's Arnauton was far and away our best selling 2009 Bordeaux future and we feel the 2010 is at least as good. Really full-flavored with lush, ripe fruit. Has overtones of mocha, licorice, earth and blueberries, with a persistent finish. An excellent example of what Fronsac is capable of.
-- CW Wine Staff (April 2011)
Varietal: Bordeaux Blend | Location: France - Bordeaux - Haut-Médoc
WS 88
WA 89
We've been following Belle-Vue for years and this is another great one. It has a dark purple color and an exotic and spicy nose with a hint of vanilla. The tannins are dense, but sweet and round. It has excellent concentration of fruit. (tasted twice) CW Wine Staff (April 2011)
Varietal: Bordeaux Blend | Location: France - Bordeaux
This is one of our first arrivals from the highly regarded 2010 vintage, and if the delectable style of this modestly priced petite château is any indication, wine lovers are going to be arguing for decades over which is the greater vintage, 2010 or 2009. Made from a blend of 50% Merlot, 32% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 18% Cabernet Franc, this fruit-forward wine, from the northern part of the Entre Deux Mers appellation, is made by Jean Lobre and his two sons, whose family has owned Bellevue Rougier for four generations. Absolutely ready to drink now, this easy-drinking Bordeaux offers oodles of soft, spicy fruit, lightly seasoned by notes of red berries, Provençal herbs, and cedar. Although it has sufficient stuffing to match with main courses of meat or poultry, this wine is also delicious by itself or with light cheeses.
Varietal: Bordeaux Blend | Location: France - Bordeaux - Haut-Médoc
WA 89
We tasted the Cambon La Pelouse during our marathon Joanne tasting, but it stood out as a delightful Haut-Medoc. Dark red and black cherry fruit with a dollop of vanilla oak on the nose gave way to a concentrated and intense palate of black cherry, plum and spice. The tightly-wound finish hints that this is one to cellar for a year or two once released.
-- CW Wine Staff (April 2011)
Varietal: Bordeaux Blend | Location: France - Bordeaux - Pessac-Léognan
WS 89
WA 91
"Abundant minerality, spicy unsmoked cigar tobacco and red and black currant characteristics emerge from this medium to full-bodied Pessac-Leognan. Displaying more power, depth, muscle and tannin than usual, this opaque ruby/purple-hued 2010 should evolve for 20-25 years."
>b>(one of the Vintage's Top Performers) Read More
Varietal: Bordeaux Blend | Location: France - Bordeaux - Pessac-Léognan
WS 89
""Rounded and inviting, with hints of pear and apple giving way to more citrus, floral and straw notes. This has good range, with a brisk edge waiting in the wings on the finish."
Varietal: Bordeaux Blend | Location: France - Bordeaux - Haut-Médoc
Our friend, owner Francois Nony, just keeps raising the bar at Caronne! A perennial winner, his 2010 has a nice bit of blackcurrant in the nose, with well-integrated, ripe tannins. There are attractive Medoc earth flavors that carry through into a long and elegant finish. (tasted twice including once at the chateau) -- CW Wine Staff (April 2011)
Varietal: Bordeaux Blend | Location: France - Bordeaux - Haut-Médoc
WS 89
WA 89
Tasted with our friend Marc Ribet of LD Vins, this is our second consecutive vintage carrying Clement Pichon. Deep red-purple in color, this wine sports fresh, cheerful flavors and aromas marked by nuances of red berries mixed with heather.
-- CW Wine Staff (April 2011)
Varietal: Bordeaux Blend | Location: France - Bordeaux - St.-Estèphe
WS 96
WE 95
WA 97
Representing 55% of the production and cropped at 35 hectoliters per hectare, Cos d?Estournel's final blend in 2010 is 78% Cabernet Sauvignon, 19% Merlot and the rest tiny portions of Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc. Compared to the massive 2009 (14.6% natural alcohol), the 2010 achieved slightly less alcohol, but also a lower pH, which accounts for its more tannic, backward, huge style. An inky/purple color is accompanied by aromas of damp earth, black currants, blackberries, licorice and charcoal. Firm, thick and super-concentrated, it is another outrageously impressive wine that will require 6-10 years of cellaring. It should keep for 30+ years. It is somewhat 2005-ish in its structure and palate impression.Representing 55% of the production and cropped at 35 hectoliters per hectare, Cos d?Estournel's final blend in 2010 is 78% Cabernet Sauvignon, 19% Merlot and the rest tiny portions of Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc. Compared to the massive 2009 (14.6% natural alcohol), the 2010 achieved slightly less alcohol, but also a lower pH, which accounts for its more tannic, backward, huge style. An inky/purple color is accompanied by aromas of damp earth, black currants, blackberries, licorice and charcoal. Firm, thick and super-concentrated, it is another outrageously impressive wine that will require 6-10 years of cellaring. It should keep for 30+ years. It is somewhat 2005-ish in its structure and palate impression. -- Robert Parker Read More
This sturdy red has enticing aromas of blackberry, spice and espresso, with a dense and long finish. Should show nicely in 4-5 years. -- CW Wine Staff (April 2011)
Varietal: Bordeaux Blend | Location: France - Bordeaux - Margaux
We visited this chateau for the second time in the last few years and the quality keeps getting better and better. This 2010 is medium-bodied with flavors of black cherry and plums. An elegant red with a firm backbone, Deyrem Valentin produces a typical Margaux with nice finesse in the finish. A great value in this price range.
-- CW Wine Staff (April 2011)
Varietal: Sauvignon Blanc | Location: France - Bordeaux
WA 94
Denis Dubourdieu's Barsac cru has an attractive bouquet with subtle notes of cooking apple, pear and lime-flower, all with very fine delineation. The palate displays good weight and a fine thread of acidity, lending tension and poise that leads to a taut finish, showing good botrytis levels for the vintage. With its trademark minerality in place, this Doisy-Daene comes highly recommended.Denis Dubourdieu's Barsac cru has an attractive bouquet with subtle notes of cooking apple, pear and lime-flower, all with very fine delineation. The palate displays good weight and a fine thread of acidity, lending tension and poise that leads to a taut finish, showing good botrytis levels for the vintage. With its trademark minerality in place, this Doisy-Daene comes highly recommended. -- Neal Martin
Varietal: Bordeaux Blend | Location: France - Bordeaux - Pauillac
WS 92
WA 94
"This large estate (190 acres) has been on a qualitative rise for nearly a decade. A classic Pauillac, the opaque purple-colored 2010, a blend of 73% Cabernet Sauvignon and 27% Merlot, reveals beautiful notes of creme de cassis, licorice, tobacco leaf and forest floor. Bigger and more muscular than most previous vintages, this full-bodied Pauillac possesses stunning density as well as intensity. Atypically high in alcohol for this property, it requires 5-7 years of cellaring and should age effortlessly for 25-30 years."
(one of the Vintage's Greatest Wines) Read More
Varietal: Bordeaux Blend | Location: France - Bordeaux - Moulis-en-Médoc
Over the past few vintages this property has been making excellent wine and the 2010 is another winner. One of the first 2010s we tasted, it showed the true markings of the vintage with dark black color, lively acidity and serious but well-integrated tannins. A core of rich, black cherry and plum fruit will make this enjoyable within a year of release but it should sing in five to seven.
-- CW Wine Staff (April 2011)
Varietal: Bordeaux Blend | Location: France - Bordeaux - Premières Côtes de Blaye
WA 88
This medium to full-bodied red has attractive aromas of roasted fruit with nice black cherry and ripe plum flavors that surround a good, sturdy structure. The finish is fresh and long.
Varietal: Bordeaux Blend | Location: France - Bordeaux - Pauillac
WS 92
WE 93
WA 93
The greatest Grand Puy Lacoste since the 2005, 2000 and 1990, the fabulous 2010 reveals all the hallmarks of this estate. It boasts a dense purple color along with classic notes of creme de cassis, blueberries, blackberries, crushed rocks and flowers, sweet tannin and an exceptionally full-bodied and multilayered mouthfeel as well as a boatload of tannin. Cellar it for a decade and drink it over the following three decades. Proprietor Xavier Borie's 2010 recalls the 2005. Read More
Varietal: Bordeaux Blend | Location: France - Bordeaux - Pessac-Léognan
WS 92
WA 92
"This estate is well-worth following given the fact that is always a realistic value and in most top vintages an over-achiever as well. Owned by the Garcin family, the 2010 Haut-Bergey (from a vineyard near Haut-Bailly) is composed of 70% Cabernet Sauvignon and 30% Merlot (unusual for this area). Possessing a deep ruby/purple hue as well as notes of creosote, charcoal, tobacco leaf, black currants and cherries, this sleeper of the vintage is opulent and luscious with a multilayered texture. Surprisingly forward with excellent freshness and depth, no hard edges, and a heady finish, it can be enjoyed over the next 10-12 years."
(Sleeper of the Vintage and one of the Vintage's Top Performers) Read More
Varietal: Bordeaux Blend | Location: France - Bordeaux - Pessac-Léognan
WS 96
WE 95
WA 98
Following a harvest that finished on October 10, Haut-Brion produced a 2010 that should turn out to be one of its all-time greats ... an amazing feat given what they have accomplished over recent vintages. A blend of 57% Cabernet Sauvignon, 23% Merlot and the rest Cabernet Franc that came in at 14.6% alcohol, the 2010 boasts an opaque purple color as well as a gorgeous perfume of scorched earth/burning embers, blueberries, black currant liqueur and crushed rocks. Full and opulent with nobility, finesse, purity and elegance, this amazing effort possesses extraordinary levels of extract as well as formidable, but sweet, well-integrated tannins. It requires 8-10 years of cellaring and should drink well for 50+ years."
(one of the Vintage's Greatest Wines) Read More
Varietal: Bordeaux Blend | Location: France - Bordeaux - Pomerol
WS 94
WA 96
"As I have been predicting, the Rothschilds are pushing l?Evangile to the highest level of the Pomerol hierarchy. Composed of 88.8% Merlot and 11.2% Cabernet Franc, the 2010 achieved 14.7% alcohol naturally, making it one of the few 2010s with lower alcohol than its 2009 counterpart (the 2009 had 15% alcohol and the 2008 had 14.5%). Most of that is due to the superb ripeness and the high concentration of Merlot in 2010. The berries were extremely tiny and the drought and cool nights in August and September gave the 2010 a lower pH and higher acidity than the 2009. For example, the 2010's pH is 3.7, the 2009's is higher and in 2000 it was 4.0. The dense purple-colored 2010 exhibits massive levels of black raspberries, Asian plum sauce, truffles and cassis. The wine is unctuously textured and remarkably fresh with a weighty richness (much like the 2009) but greater delineation. A marvelous effort, it, along with the 2009, may turn out to be one of the two greatest wines made by l?Evangile. The 2010 should drink well young yet last for three decades or more."
(one of the Vintage's Greatest Wines) Read More
Varietal: Bordeaux Blend | Location: France - Bordeaux - Pessac-Léognan
WS 95
WE 96
WA 98
"One of the most powerful La Missions ever produced, the 2010, a blend of 62% Cabernet Sauvignon, 37% Merlot and 1% Cabernet Franc, achieved 15% natural alcohol (even higher than the 2009's 14.7%). Nevertheless, the pH is normal which gives the wine an extraordinary precision, freshness and vibrancy despite its massive size. A blue/purple color is followed by a classic nose of blueberry liqueur, creme de cassis, spring flowers and crushed rocks. This monumental, full-bodied, incredibly rich La Mission-Haut-Brion will need a decade of cellaring and should last for 40-50 years. It is slightly fatter and creamier than its sibling rival, the 2010 Chateau Haut-Brion."
(one of the Vintage's Greatest Wines) Read More
Varietal: Bordeaux Blend | Location: France - Bordeaux - Fronsac
WS 88
WA 91
"This American-owned estate has been on a qualitative roll for over a decade and the 2010 should rival their 2005 and 2009 as one of the finest wines La Vieille Cure has made. The dense plum/ruby/purple-tinged 2010 exhibits beautiful notes of kirsch liqueur, black currants, licorice and forest floor. Lovely texture and purity, medium to full body and superb fruit intensity result in a gorgeous wine that will be accessible early, but capable of lasting 10-15 years."
(Sleeper of the Vintage and one of the Vintage's Top Performers) Read More
Varietal: Bordeaux Blend | Location: France - Bordeaux - Pauillac
WS 96
WA 98
"This exceptionally rich, thick Lafite came in with the highest level of natural alcohol (13.5%) ever achieved at Lafite Rothschild. To put that in its proper context, the 2009 and 2005 were 13.3% and in the hottest Bordeaux summer ever recorded in over 200 years, the 2003 achieved 12.8%. A blend of 84% Cabernet Sauvignon and 16% Merlot, all harvested between October 9 and 14, the 2010 exhibits an extraordinarily dense color, an unctuous texture and sweet black currant fruit intermixed with graphite, charcoal and truffle notes. A director Charles Chevalier told me, between July and the October harvest, Bordeaux had its driest weather since 1949, but it never got excessively hot. Hence the tiny berries, freshness and extraordinary precision of Lafite Rothschild. This superb effort will undoubtedly shut down slightly once it is bottled despite a pH of 3.8. It needs no building up because much of Lafite Rothschild has now become an obsession with the wealthy Chinese and most of it will undoubtedly be consumed before it ever hits its prime. Ideally, it should be cellared for 10-15 years and drunk over the following 50+ years."
(one of the Vintage's Greatest Wines) Read More
Varietal: Bordeaux Blend | Location: France - Bordeaux - St.-Estèphe
WS 90
WA 92
St. Estephe seems to perform better in dry years but Basile Tesseron has really outdone himself this year! Tightly-wound and incredibly concentrated flavors of black fruits and lightly-spiced oak are framed by powerful, fine-grained tannins and high acidity. This is really what the vintage is about: great balance and elegance, turned up another notch.
-- CW Wine Staff (April 2011)
Varietal: Bordeaux Blend | Location: France - Bordeaux - Haut-Médoc
WA 89
This wine has an attractive Haut-Medoc nose with black fruits and earth and a tight structure with a long and focused finish. (tasted twice)
-- CW Wine Staff (April 2011)
Varietal: Bordeaux Blend | Location: France - Bordeaux - St.-Julien
WS 92
WA 90
We tasted this at the chateau when we visited our good friend Lilian Barton-Sartorius. Elegant as always, this red has an aromatic nose, with flavors of cassis and blackberry fruit. The finish is firm and flavorful.
-- CW Wine Staff (April 2011)
Varietal: Merlot | Location: France - Bordeaux - Bordeaux Supérieur
WA 91
We tried this with our friends at Nathaniel Johnston a few years ago and fell in love with it! This 2010 has very complex, black-fruit flavors, especially given its modest price and appellation. It has excellent balance, with fine tannins and a hint of roasted coffee in the long finish. -- CW Wine Staff (April 2011)
Varietal: Bordeaux Blend | Location: France - Bordeaux - St.-Estèphe
WS 90
WA 90
"This vineyard, owned by Didier Cuvelier, the proprietor of Leoville-Poyferre, is finally coming to life. A blend of 47% Cabernet Sauvignon, 33% Merlot, 13% Cabernet Franc and 7% Petit Verdot, the 2010 achieved 14% natural alcohol. It exhibits a dense purple color followed by notes of roasted herbs, licorice, fruitcake and black currants. Medium to full-bodied and rich with moderate tannins as well as the distinctive earthy character that often comes from St.-Estephe, this broad, savory effort should drink well for 15+ years."
(Sleeper of the Vintage and one of the Vintage's Top Performers) Read More
Varietal: Bordeaux Blend | Location: France - Bordeaux - St.-Julien
WS 93
WA 94
The 2010 Leoville Barton was almost impossible to evaluate because of its highly extracted, masculine, muscular style. However, it exhibits a dense purple color along with surprising amounts of oak, excruciatingly painful tannin levels, good acidity and a massive mouthfeel. One of the biggest, most backward wines of the vintage, forget it for a decade and drink it over the following 30+ years. Unfortunately, I have passed the age where it makes sense to buy a wine such as this. ?Robert Parker, Read More
Varietal: Bordeaux Blend | Location: France - Bordeaux - Premières Côtes de Blaye
WA 88
This is a wonderfully elegant wine with ripe fruit, excellent concentration, and good complexity. Should drink well young and continue to get better for several years.
-- CW Wine Staff (April 2011)
Varietal: Bordeaux Blend | Location: France - Bordeaux - St.-Estèphe
WS 90
This wine thoroughly impressed us for the second straight year. Long and intense flavors of blackberry and blueberry fruit lead to a suave and complex finish. Finely balanced, well done!
-- CW Wine Staff (April 2011)
Varietal: Bordeaux Blend | Location: France - Bordeaux - Margaux
WS 95
WE 94
WA 92
Actually higher in alcohol than its bigger sister, Chateau Margaux, the 2010 Pavillon Rouge (66% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot and the rest Petit Verdot) hit 14% natural alcohol. Paul Pontallier proclaimed it the best they have ever made, representing only 38% of production. (This wine also undergoes a serious selection.) Plenty of black fruits, violets, forest floor and earth are present in this wonderfully textured, opulent wine, which will provide immediate gratification when it is released in a year. It should drink nicely for up to 15 or more years.Actually higher in alcohol than its bigger sister, Chateau Margaux, the 2010 Pavillon Rouge (66% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot and the rest Petit Verdot) hit 14% natural alcohol. Paul Pontallier proclaimed it the best they have ever made, representing only 38% of production. (This wine also undergoes a serious selection.) Plenty of black fruits, violets, forest floor and earth are present in this wonderfully textured, opulent wine, which will provide immediate gratification when it is released in a year. It should drink nicely for up to 15 or more years. -- Robert Parker Read More
Varietal: Bordeaux Blend | Location: France - Bordeaux - Entre-Deux-Mers
Produced in Entre-Deux-Mers ("between two seas"), a picturesque region of Bordeaux sandwiched between the Garonne and the Dordogne rivers, this zesty Bordeaux blanc from the highly regarded 2010 vintage is a perfect all around summer white. Although most Entre-Deux-Mers is dominated by the assertive Sauvignon Blanc grape variety, Château Martinon's conscientious owner, Jerome Trolliet, favors Sémillon, using it for more than 60% of the blend, with Sauvignon Blanc (30%) and Muscadelle (10%) making up the rest. The emphasis on Sémillon yields a wine that is considerably more rich and savory than most Bordeaux Blanc. The floral and mineral scented 2010 Château Martinon offers juicy lemon, citrus, and marmalade fruit, which makes it an ideal accompaniment to oysters (the classic match), fish, grilled poultry, and light meats. It is also a great choice to sip all by itself, with the sea breezes blowing.
Varietal: Bordeaux Blend | Location: France - Bordeaux - Pauillac
WS 90
"Vibrant, racy and long, this supervivid red has great cut, with raspberry, red currant and iron notes. Pure and stylish, with a lovely floral hint hanging on the finish. Bravo on the turnaround going on here."